Barbara grew up in a small farming community on the East side of the state. She moved to Grand Rapids in 1973 to attend Kendall School of Design. She has been here ever since. In one discipline or another she has been involved with art her entire life. Barbara worked as a Restoration Artist and Conservator for over 35 Years. Now retired from Restoration she dedicates her time to her own art. As an oil painter her work has been strongly influenced by the bold, impressionist art of Contemporary Russian painters. As a result, her own painting has become bolder and more expressionistic.